Elections may not be about which candidate can raise the most money, but having deep pockets certainly helps them share their message with a larger audience.

And when a district takes in 25 counties - as in the case of Georgia's 1st Congressional District that stretches from the border of Florida to the border of South Carolina - money helps.

"When there are 650,000 people in a congressional district, you can't shake every hand," said Charles Bullock, Richard Russell professor of Political Science at the University of Georgia. "For a congressional race, money is extremely important - especially for a challenger who is relatively unknown."

In the 1st District, Bullock said it's no surprise that between July 1 and Sept. 30, seven-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., has out-raised his Democratic challenger the Rev. Jim Nelson 3-to-1.

According to the Federal Election Commission, Kingston reported a net collection of $110,995 compared to Nelson's net total of $34,119 during the most recent reporting period.

"You're not going to have all kinds of money coming in, like the 12th has gotten," Bullock said. "There you had the president host a fundraiser in Pooler (for GOP challenger Max Burns). No one is going to be doing that for either candidate in the 1st District."

Bullock said it's a matter of perception: Republicans believe they can regain the 12th District seat; they aren't worried about Kingston losing his seat of 14 years.

But Nelson contends it takes more than dollars to win a race.

"We're getting a lot of the word out the right way: the grass roots way," Nelson said. "When you're touching people and hitting nerves about what's happening in the district, you can win on the issues as opposed to who-can-spend-the-most-money.

"Besides, I got something more important than money," he added. "I got faith."